AWPR road users urged to take their litter home

a reporter

Transport Scotland and Aberdeen Roads Limited are asking road users to improve the safety of workers by disposing of their litter responsibly.

One of Aberdeen Road Limited’s duties during its 30-year maintenance contract is to carry out litter picking when required. This means workers have to collect litter by hand that has either been dropped from passing vehicles or left behind in lay-bys.

Douglas Laird, Transport Scotland’s Project Manager for the AWPR/B-T project explained: “The process of collecting litter from the side of a trunk road places road workers right next to high speed traffic, which can be dangerous. However, this type of work would be unnecessary if everyone took their litter home with them. We are therefore asking road users to consider the safety of workers, not to mention the environment, before throwing litter from their vehicles.

“The benefits of this project are expected to be wide-ranging, including reducing congestion, improving journey time reliability and enhancing safety, as well as attracting new business and tourists to the area.

“The new trunk road gives everyone a snapshot of how beautiful the north east is, so keeping it free from litter will create a good impression for visitors and give everyone the chance to see the North East at its best.”

Malcolm Findlay, General Manager, Aberdeen Roads Limited commented: “We would like people to take all of their litter home with them, instead of discarding it on the new trunk road, so we don’t have to ask our road workers to clear it up. Our workers are already busy patrolling the new road to ensure it is operating as it should, as well as helping road users who need assistance.

“In addition, litter-picking in certain areas of the road will require temporary traffic management to be implemented, which has an impact on road users by reducing the number of lanes available.”

Inspector Steve Manson from Police Scotland said: “Littering is an offence which is thankfully unacceptable to the majority of people. However, it is becoming an issue on the new road.

“Workers have to be located in close proximity to fast moving traffic to remove litter and these works can themselves be a distraction to road users. Littering on a road can also cause damage to vehicle tyres or windscreens.

“In circumstances where road policing officers observe anyone to be littering on any road, they will take appropriate action.”